Education News: Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018

Sumter School District Board of Trustees will be honored during School Board Recognition Month.

Posted
Sunday, January 21, 2018 6:00 am

Sumter School District

School Board Recognition Month

Sumter School District will join districts throughout the state and nation to celebrate School Board Recognition Month. The theme "Superheroes for Public Education" highlights the unique role school boards play in championing and advocating for quality education and the ownership they take for governing their local public schools.

School board members are elected/appointed by the people in their local communities to represent their voices and to ensure the success of schools and students and communicating the needs of the school district to the public.

It's official! Alice Drive Middle School, a nationally accredited STEM school, will have a flight experiment for the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program Mission 12 to the International Space Station. Alice Drive Middle School is one of 31 sites selected throughout the nation, Canada and Brazil to participate in the SSEP Mission 12.

Sixth-grade students Ashlin Farmer, Alana Garrick, Alyse King and Mary Brooke Mooneyham formally announced their flight experiment, The Effects of Microgravity on Seed Germination in Sodium Polyacrylate. The experiment was selected from more than 100 proposals submitted by students from Alice Drive Middle.

A local review board of business partners, professors, science professionals and Sumter School District educators selected the top three experiments. A national review board, convened by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education in Washington, D.C., selected the final experiment to represent Alice Drive Middle School on the 2018 Mission 12 spaceflight to the International Space Station. The students will have the opportunity to conduct their experiment on Earth while astronauts on the International Space Station conduct the same experiment.

The SSEP is spearheaded by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, a nonprofit organization that inspires the next generation of scientists and engineers by engaging their natural human impulse to be curious and explore. "If we as a nation are to compete in the 21st century, we must begin to teach science as a process of discovery, like science itself," said Center Director Dr. Jeff Goldstein, adding that the student competition follows the approach used by NASA to select research projects designed by professional scientists.

The Student Spaceflight Experiment Program is a program of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education in the U.S. and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education internationally. It is enabled through a strategic partnership with DreamUp, PBC and NanoRacks LLC, which are working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

Bus Driver Recruitment Fair

Sumter School District will host a Bus Driver Recruitment Fair on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the District Office, 1345 Wilson Hall Road. No experience is necessary, but interested candidates must have a valid S.C. driver's license, a clean driving record and a clean background check. Those who join the transportation team will receive a paid four-day training. Other benefits include opportunities for advancement and insurance and retirement benefits.

Inclement weather days announced

The following are inclement weather makeup days for Sumter School District: Jan. 19 (due to Hurricane Irma), Feb. 19 (due to snow/ice day), and March 29 (due to snow/ice day). These days were previously listed as in-service/workdays and are listed on our calendar for inclement weather makeup days. The board voted at its last meeting to waive the third day that was missed due to the snow/ice.

State law mandates that school districts use the inclement weather days indicated on their calendars as makeup days. School districts are required to make up the first three days. If more than three days are missed, the local school board of trustees, by a majority vote, may waive no more than three days. - Shelly Galloway

University of South Carolina Sumter

Ante Up at Casino Night

On Friday, Feb. 16, the USC Sumter Nettles Gymnasium will be transformed into a Las Vegas-style casino where attendees will play for wonderful prizes donated by area businesses.

The Ante Up Casino Night sign-in will begin at 6 p.m. in the Nettles Lobby. Game play runs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. with prize distribution at 10 p.m. Guests should dress to impress and bring their poker faces. Casino games such as black jack, craps, roulette, poker and bingo will be available to guests, where they can earn chips to win prizes. Guests will enjoy beer and wine, a signature drink, $500 in chips, a catered dinner and music to dance the night away.

All proceeds from the Ante Up Casino Night will benefit USC Sumter Athletics. Through this event, guests can help raise funds to support student athletes through scholarships, equipment improvements, facility enhancements and special programs.

Tickets are now available for purchase online. Cost to attend the event is $50 per person. Tickets are limited. Attendees must be at least 21, and dress is cocktail attire. In addition to the casino games, guests can bid on various sports artifacts set up by a professional silent auction company. Door prizes from local businesses will be awarded throughout the night, and bingo will be available for those wanting to play a different game.

Once tickets are purchased, a list will be created for the night of the event so no actual ticket is necessary. Ante Up provides all the fun of a casino with no risk. Players get tickets based on their success at the games. Prizes are awarded through a "bag raffle," where players select the prize(s) they want to win by placing their tickets in a bag or box near the prize. And players don't even need to know what they are doing to have fun. The best time to learn games like craps, poker or roulette is early in the event, while others are still learning.

Thank you to presenting sponsors Let's Party and Food with a Flair Catering. Table sponsorships are available. Please contact Athletic Fundraising Coordinator Christie Stutz at (803) 938-3892 or cstutz@uscsumter.edu for more information. - Misty Hatfield

Morris College

Loss of a Legend

Morris College is mourning the loss of its beloved President Emeritus, Dr. Luns C. Richardson. Richardson died in his hometown of Hartsville on Jan. 13. Richardson served Morris College and the Sumter community for 43 years prior to his retirement in June of 2017. The flag currently hangs at half staff as students, family and community members mourn the death of a leader, father figure and friend. Services were held on Friday and Saturday.

Scholarship Opportunities

Morris College encourages all students to apply for the following scholarships with upcoming deadlines:

- Kia Motors America STEM/Sustainability Scholarship, Jan. 26;

- Ray Charles Endowed Scholarship, Jan. 26;

- UNCF-Anthem Corporate Scholars Program, Feb. 17;

- UNCF-Carnival Corporate Scholars Program, Jan. 19;

- HCN Apricity Resources Scholars Program, Feb. 22;

- UNCF/Alliance Data Scholarship and Internship, Jan. 26;

- CVS Pharmacy Inc. Business Scholarship, March 30; and

- CVS Pharmacy Inc. Pharmacy Scholarship, March 30.

Assembly

The Nu Gamma chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. will host its annual Founders Day assembly on Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. in the Neal-Jones Auditorium. The guest speaker will be Tabitha D. Jones, a native of Lake View. She is a multi-business and nonprofit owner, educator and a motivational speaker.

Morris College Basketball

The Hornets will play the following games at the Garrick-Boykin Human Development Center: Men's Hornets vs. St. Andrews College, Monday at 7 p.m.; Women's Hornets vs. Johnson and Wales University, Tuesday at 6 p.m.; Women's Hornets vs Fisk University (Homecoming), 2 p.m. Monday; and Men's Hornets vs Fisk University (Homecoming), at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Morris College Homecoming

Morris College will host its annual Homecoming today through Saturday. The week of festivities will kick off with a Gospelfest in the Neal-Jones Auditorium at 6 p.m. today. Saturday's Homecoming games against Fisk University will feature both the Women and Men Hornet basketball teams at 2 and 4 p.m. respectively in the Garrick-Boykin Human Development Center. The Parents Day Welcome Brunch will also be held on Saturday at 10 a.m. in Daniels Dining Hall. A list of the official homecoming week activities can be found on the college website, www.morris.edu. - Anika V. Cobb

Campus Corner

Coastal Carolina University

CONWAY - Coastal Carolina University has announced that 814 students made the President's List for high academic achievement for the 2017 fall semester. To qualify for the President's List, students must earn a 4.0 grade-point average and must be enrolled full time.

Local students on the President's List are:

Sarah McInnis of Sumter, a theater arts major;

Marcus McLeod of Dalzell, an intelligence and national security studies major;

Edward Neiswonger of Dalzell, an accounting major; and

Gabrielle Richbow of Rembert, an early childhood education major.

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY

CLEMSON - Area students graduated from Clemson University at the Dec. 21, 2017, ceremonies.

They are:

Miriam E. Anderson of Bishopville, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Animal and Veterinary Sciences;

Matthew R. Fountain of Bishopville, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Mechanization and Business;

Chase Fritzgerald Smith of Bishopville, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management;

Kayla E. Wallace of Bishopville, who graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences;

Davis R. Patrick of Summerton, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Mechanization and Business;

Natasha R. Baldwin of Sumter, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communications;

Mari-Douglas Nevels of Sumter, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management;

Sydne Rae Posey of Sumter, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Science.

Sarah C. Smith of Sumter, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing;

Robert S. Turner of Sumter, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Science and Management; and

Hunter J. Young of Sumter, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology.

KING'S COLLEGE

WILKES-BARRE, Pennsyvlania - Dr. Joseph Evan, provost and vice president for academic affairs at King's College, recently announced that Hannah Jenkins of Sumter has qualified for the fall 2017 dean's list.

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